The Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park ( es, Parque natural de la Sierra de Grazalema) is a natural park in the northeastern part of the

province of Cádiz Cádiz is a province of southern Spain, in the southwestern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is the southernmost part of mainland Spain, as well as the southernmost part of continental Europe. It is bordered by the Spanish provin ...

in southern

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

. The park encompasses, within its , a complex of mountain ranges, known collectively as the

Sierra de Grazalema Grazalema is a village located in the northeastern part of the province of Cádiz, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Situated in the foothills of the Sierra del Pinar mountain range (Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park), Grazalema ...

, which, in turn, are part of the Cordillera Subbética. Other ranges within the park, comprising the Sierra de Grazalema, include the Sierra de Zafalgar, the

Sierra del Pinar Sierra (Spanish for "mountain range" and "saw", from Latin '' serra'') may refer to the following: Places Mountains and mountain ranges * Sierra de Juárez, a mountain range in Baja California, Mexico * Sierra de las Nieves, a mountain range i ...

, and the Sierra de Endrinal. ''Pinar'' (or ''Torreón''), in elevation, is the tallest peak. Grazalema (Spain)

The Sierra de Grazalema, a

karstic Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

region, contains a number of large limestone caverns, including the Cueva del Gato, the Cueva de la Pileta and the Garganta Verde. The Sierra de Grazalema is also home to many colonies of

vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

s, including a few pairs of

Egyptian vulture The Egyptian vulture (''Neophron percnopterus''), also called the white scavenger vulture or pharaoh's chicken, is a small Old World vulture and the only member of the genus ''Neophron''. It is widely distributed from the Iberian Peninsula and ...

s, a species which is seriously threatened. The natural park was declared a

biosphere reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

in 1977.

Towns and cities within the park

All or part of nine municipalities of the

lie within the Natural Park of Grazalema:

Algodonales Algodonales is a city and a Municipality, located in the province of Cádiz, Spain. According to the 2002 census, the city has a population of 5,607 inhabitants. The nearest cities are Zahara de la Sierra and Olvera. Algodonales is located in t ...

, Benaocaz, El Bosque,

El Gastor El Gastor is a city located in the province of Cádiz, Spain. According to the 2005 census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mo ...

Grazalema Grazalema is a village located in the northeastern part of the province of Cádiz, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Situated in the foothills of the Sierra del Pinar mountain range (Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park), Grazalema h ...

Prado del Rey Prado del Rey is a city located in the province of Cádiz, Spain. According to the 2005 census, the city has a population of 5,968 inhabitants. History Human remains have been found dating back to the Paleolithic but the first mention in anci ...

Ubrique Ubrique is a municipality of Spain located in the province of Cádiz, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. According to the 2005 census, it has a population of 17,362 inhabitants. It is the most important municipality in the Sierra de Cádiz ...

Villaluenga del Rosario Villaluenga del Rosario is a village located in the province of Cádiz, Spain. According to the 2005 census, the city has a population of 481 inhabitants. It is located down Navazo Alto mountain, within the Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park The ...

, and

Zahara de la Sierra Zahara de la Sierra is a municipality in the province of Cádiz in the hills of Andalusia, southern Spain. It is perched on a mountain, overlooking a valley and a man-made lake formed by the dam that must be driven over to access the town. It is c ...

. Likewise, there are five towns in Málaga province that have land within park boundaries:

Benaoján Benaoján () is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. It is located within the Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park. Its surface area is 32 km2. The municipality is si ...

Cortes de la Frontera Cortes de la Frontera is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. The municipality is situated approximately 40 kilometres from Ronda Ronda () is a town in the Spanis ...

Jimera de Líbar Jimera de Líbar is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. The municipality is situated approximately 26 kilometres from Ronda and sits at an altitude of 540 metres. I ...

Montejaque Montejaque is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. It belongs to the comarca of Serranía de Ronda. The municipality is situated approximately 125 kilometres from th ...

, and

Ronda Ronda () is a town in the Spanish province of Málaga. It is located about west of the city of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is about 35,000. Ronda is known for its cliff-side location and a deep chasm ...

Gallery

File:GrazalemaDesdeCamping.jpg, Town of

File:LlanosRavel.jpg, Llanos del Ravel or Llanos del revés File:CuevaDosPuertas.jpg, Cueva de las Dos Puertas File:Llanos-Líbar.jpg, Llanos de Líbar File:Abies pinsapo Glauca 02.jpg, Abies pinsapo File:Sierra del Pinar (panorámica).JPG, Pinsapar from Llanos del Ravel File:Vulture beak sideview A.jpg,

Gyps fulvus ''Gyps'' is a genus of Old World vultures that was proposed by Marie Jules César Savigny in 1809. Its members are sometimes known as griffon vultures. ''Gyps'' vultures have a slim head, a long slender neck with downy feathers, and a ruff aroun ...

File:Benaocaz-road.jpg, Calzada romana File:Villaluenga-vista.JPG,

File:SaltoDelCabrero.jpg, Salto del Cabrero File:GrazalemaDesdeEndrinal.jpg,

from Endrinal mountains

External links

Grazalema_Natural_Park_-_Tourist_Information Natural_parks_of_Spain
Natural_parks_of_Andalusia.html" ;"title="Natural parks of Spain">Grazalema Natural Park - Tourist Information Natural parks of Spain
Natural parks of Andalusia">Natural parks of Spain">Grazalema Natural Park - Tourist Information Natural parks of Spain
Natural parks of Andalusia Geography of the Province of Cádiz Geography of the Province of Málaga Biosphere reserves of Spain Protected areas established in 1977 {{Andalusia-geo-stub

Towns and cities within the park

Gallery

See also

External links